


Hero, I've Shrunk the Princess!

by SailorSong



Series: The Shrinking Trilogy [2]
Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild
Genre: F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Link (Legend of Zelda) Needs a Hug, Suicidal Thoughts, Suicide Attempt, Zelda (Legend of Zelda) Needs A Hug
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-07
Updated: 2021-03-07
Packaged: 2021-03-13 18:55:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,881
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29905569
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SailorSong/pseuds/SailorSong
Summary: After defeating Calamity Ganon, Zelda uses Purah’s anti-aging rune again, but this time it's on herself! Her future is now in the hands of Link, who chose to not recover all of his memories before freeing Zelda from her 100 year battle with the monster.
Relationships: Link & Zelda (Legend of Zelda), Link/Zelda (Legend of Zelda)
Series: The Shrinking Trilogy [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2175519
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	Hero, I've Shrunk the Princess!

**Author's Note:**

> You don’t *have* to read the first story, but why wouldn’t you want to?!!? This whole second story of the series is from Link’s POV.

I asked for one thing. ONE THING! I just wanted to be left alone, to be allowed to retire in peace. Over one hundred years in the service to Hyrule should be enough. At least one would think anyway.

But no. Instead, here I was, being summoned to Purah's laboratory for some unknown reason. I swear to the goddesses, if it has something to do with *her* again, I'm going to disappear so deep into the Hybra Mountains, no one will ever find me.

As I opened the door of the lab, I looked around but there was nothing so urgent that seemed to require my presence. The machines all looked how they normally did. Purah and Symin were giving each other nervous glances. A tiny, blonde baby was sitting on the floor surrounded by a pile of clothing. SOMETHING.

Hold up, why was there a baby here?

"Linky-"

"Don't call me Linky."

She ignored me as usual. "We're so glad you're here. As you can see, there's been a little mishap."

I could only stare at her as I tried to decide if I even wanted to know what was happening. "You have exactly five minutes to explain what's going on, and then I'm leaving."

Purah launched into a long-winded, high-pitched explanation. As I predicted, it had something to do with the aforementioned *her* coming to visit, and then I just got lost in the technical jargon they all liked to use. I was heading for the door when Purah grabbed my arm. Her eyes were pleading.

"Link, please. The baby is Zelda." I stood there, staring at her dumbly. She seemed to take my lack of exiting as an invitation to continue. "Before you go, please read this." She pushed an open letter against my chest and ran to stop the crawling infant from going near a set of wires.

With a sigh, I did as I was asked like the good little soldier I was.

* * *

_Purah and Impa,_

_I'm sorry to do this to you, but this seems to be the only way to find peace and a fresh start after over 117 years of the Calamity consuming my life. I leave my fate to you both; whether in my new life I am princess or pauper, I pray to the goddesses that they are kind._

_My love to you all,_

_Zelda_

* * *

_Link,_

_✋︎ ●︎□︎❖︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❍︎□︎❒︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ✋︎ ⬥︎ ︎●︎●︎ ︎❖︎ ︎❒︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎●︎ ︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬧︎ ︎⍓︎📬︎ ✋︎ ︎●︎⬥︎ ︎⍓︎⬧︎ ❒︎ ︎ ︎❒︎ ︎⧫︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎❖︎ ︎□︎❒︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ⬥︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ⬥︎ ︎ ︎ ︎❒︎⬧︎⧫︎ ❍︎ ︎⧫︎📪︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎📪︎ ❍︎⍓︎ ⬧︎ ︎■︎⬧︎ ︎ ︎❖︎ ︎ ︎□︎❍︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ⧫︎□︎ ︎ ︎◆︎■︎⧫︎ ❍︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ❍︎□︎⬧︎⧫︎ ⧫︎ ︎❒︎❒︎ ︎ ︎●︎ ︎ ⬥︎ ︎⍓︎📬︎ ✡︎□︎◆︎ ︎ ︎❖︎ ︎ ︎□︎❒︎ ︎□︎⧫︎⧫︎ ︎■︎ ◆︎⬧︎📪︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ✋︎ ︎ ︎■︎■︎□︎⧫︎ ︎□︎●︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎■︎⬧︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📪︎ ︎◆︎⧫︎ ✋︎ ︎●︎⬧︎□︎ ︎ ︎■︎■︎□︎⧫︎ ●︎ ︎❖︎ ︎ ⬥︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ❍︎ ︎❍︎□︎❒︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ □︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ◻︎ ︎⬧︎⧫︎📪︎ □︎ ︎ ◆︎⬧︎📪︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ❍︎ ︎📬︎ ❄︎ ︎ ︎❒︎ ︎ ︎□︎❒︎ ︎📪︎ ✋︎ ︎ ︎❖︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ⧫︎□︎ ︎ ︎ ⬧︎ ︎●︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ ︎📬︎_

_✋︎ ︎ ︎❖︎ ︎ ❍︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ ︎ ︎□︎ ︎ ︎ ︎📪︎ ⧫︎□︎ ⬧︎⧫︎ ︎❒︎⧫︎ □︎❖︎ ︎❒︎ ⬥︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ︎●︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ⬧︎●︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ◆︎⬧︎⧫︎ ●︎ ︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎📪︎ ︎◆︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ︎❒︎ ︎ ❒︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎📪︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ❍︎ ︎⍓︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ︎ ︎ ︎■︎ ◻︎□︎⬧︎⬧︎ ︎⬧︎⬧︎ ︎□︎■︎ □︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ❍︎ ︎❍︎□︎❒︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ □︎ ︎ ◆︎⬧︎📬︎ ✋︎ ︎ ⍓︎□︎◆︎ ■︎□︎⬥︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ ︎❒︎ ︎ ︎□︎❒︎ ◆︎⬧︎ ⧫︎□︎ ︎ ︎ ⧫︎□︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ︎ ︎❒︎📪︎ ⧫︎ ︎●︎●︎ ︎◆︎❒︎ ︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ︎□︎■︎⧫︎ ︎■︎⧫︎⬧︎ □︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎⬧︎ ◻︎ ︎❒︎⧫︎ □︎ ︎ ⧫︎ ︎ ︎ ●︎ ︎⧫︎⧫︎ ︎❒︎📪︎ ︎■︎ ︎ ⬧︎ ︎ ︎ ⬥︎ ︎●︎●︎ ❒︎ ︎❖︎ ︎❒︎⬧︎ ︎ ⬥︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎ ✋︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎ ︎⧫︎❼︎⬧︎ ◻︎□︎⬧︎⬧︎ ︎ ︎●︎ ︎✆︎📬︎_

_✡︎□︎◆︎❒︎⬧︎ ︎●︎⬥︎ ︎⍓︎⬧︎📪︎_

_Zelda_

* * *

"What does the second part say? The stuff addressed to me?" I looked up to see Purah completely overwhelmed by the squirming, crying infant. I reached out and took the baby into my arms in the hopes I could get some answers.

"I don't know. I only invited you here because I thought you'd be able to read it."

I shook my head, which pulled the baby's attention to one of my earrings. She reached out to grab for it, but I managed to pull her away just in time.

"Aww! She likes you," Purah said.

"No. No, Purah, don't even try it. I'm not raising a baby," I said as forcefully as I could, all the while thinking that I might need to go somewhere farther than Hebra.

"Oh no, I agree. But I do have one favor to ask."

… … …

And so, that is how I found myself riding on the road to Kakariko Village with a baby strapped around my front in a carrier sling. I had to switch to spears in order to protect us both from attacks, regrettably having to forgo my favorite battle axe.

The ride was quiet, with the infant sleeping against me. This was the same girl who had sealed away the monster. The same girl whose first words were "Do you remember me?"

Oh yes, I did remember. I had recalled memories of her belittling me, yelling at me, despising me. And I had seen my past self just taking it all. I'd had enough. Impa had suggested I try to travel to all of the image locations in the hopes that I might remember more, but after the memory of the princess telling me to stop following her, I decided the present day me would listen and stop trying to track down the memories of us. If I was nothing but her whipping boy, I had little interest in reliving all that pain.

 _"I remember enough,"_ I had told her. I wasn't mean to her or anything - she had saved Hyrule after all - but my job was done. I owed her nothing. Out of courtesy, I escorted her to Impa. She would be safe with the Sheikah, and she was no longer my charge.

That had been a few weeks ago, and I hadn't really heard anything since. As the baby made sweet cooing noises against my chest, I wondered how she even made it to Hateno on her own. She had clearly given me the slip when I was her knight, so I at least had to give credit where it was due. She was smart and resourceful, so why the need for this dramatic step?

I was pondering this very thought as we passed through the gates of Hateno Fort. We had barely made it a few steps into the field of Guardian corpses when the baby began to cry for the first time on our journey. It had the dual impact of both startling my horse and alerting all nearby bokoblins to our presence.

The girl was already maddening. She was not restarting her life in the right direction.

"Why here?" I grumbled, readying my spear. With my free hand, I tried soothing her. She responded to my touch almost instantly and slept the rest of the way to Kakariko.

Through the winding canyon and peaceful village the horse clopped until we reached the home of the elder. Her guards seemed both surprised and nervous to see me, an interesting reaction, but they nonetheless let me proceed.

I pushed open the door and was greeted with, "Finally, you're returned." After a pause, the gravelly voice said, "You were not whom I was expecting."

"I should say not," I replied. "I told you I would not be back, and I had meant to keep my word."

The old woman pursed her lips. "Then I should ask: to what do I owe the honor?"

"I have a delivery for you from your sister."

Paya moved nervously over to grab whatever it was I brought. The surprise on her face as I handed over the infant was almost comical, if not for the circumstances.

"What's this, Master Link?"

Impa seemed to already know. "She turned it on herself, didn't she? I doubt it was an accident this time."

This time?

"From what your sister told me, Zelda tricked both her and Symin outside and locked the door. By the time they got back in, she was already beginning to age backwards." He showed Impa the note for good measure.

"Can you read the part addressed to you?" she asked him, handing it back.

"No." I had a sudden suspicion that she could and wasn't offering to translate. Regardless, my part in this was done. I said a brief goodbye and turned for the door.

"Link." I stopped. I don't know why. I knew she was going to set me on another quest that I did not want. Still, I waited. "You've never asked me about this painting. I had it commissioned in case I did not live to see your return." She stood and jumped down from her cushioned pedestal, surprisingly spry for her age. "Lady Zelda gave me specific instructions. She asked me to wait to show you this. I think now I have waited too long."

"What is it?"

"Where you spent your last moments before being placed in the Shrine of Resurrection. I know you've expressed a desire to move on, but if I can make one last request: please consider making a stop here to say a final farewell to your past life."

"I already did," I told her. "I have been trying to say goodbye to that life. Maybe it's the rest of you who need to let go and allow that Link to finally die and be put to rest." Without another word, without another look at the infant Zelda, I turned and left. Perhaps I was being rude, but it was certainly not unjustified. Why, then why did I have a feeling of dread? Or, perhaps, maybe it was...regret?

I pondered this on my way home and decided to turn my thoughts to happier things. I had only just made up my mind to take a pre-Hybra trip to Lurelin Village when, suddenly, my horse reared up, knocking me off in the process, and bolted without warning or cause.

This mount was newer, maybe that was the issue. My previous far more reliable mare was trampled by the giant malice beast I fought in Hyrule Field. However, in all fairness, this particular horse had been fairly dependable until just now. I decided to give him another chance, running in the direction I had last seen him heading.

Through ruins and the littered corpses of malfunctioning and decaying Guardians, I finally found him by a pool of water not far from a bokoblin camp. After making quick work of the monsters, especially now that I could use my axe again, I walked over to grab his reins before he could take off again.

A shining ring of gold light caught in the corner of my eye. This had not been the first I'd come across, but I no longer bothered to investigate them since seeing the vision at the Ancient Ruins high on the hill. Why this one in particular pulled me to it, I'm not sure. Maybe it had to do with stories I'd heard from the men who dwelled in the remains of Fort Hateno. The stories they told seemed like fairy tales. That one man, presumably me, had held back the swarm of Guardians and saved everyone inside; it was absurd. I could barely take down one without my weapon breaking. There must be hundreds of defeated machines here.

My curiosity got the better of me, and I stepped into the light. After all, what harm could it do? From the beginning of the vision, the very sound of the whirring machines made my body tense up. They were scurrying about, like wolves tracking down their prey. They were hunting something. Hunting him...me.

No… they were hunting us.

I watched him, breathing heavily as he leaned up against his sword. I could see the slash that was now the scar that ran from my chest to my navel, the wound that would ultimately lead to my death. Behind him, the girl in a dirty white gown pleaded with him.

_"Link, save yourself! Go! I'll be fine! Don't worry about me! Run!"_

He ignored her order, and struggled to pull himself to his feet as a lone Guardian arrived, its deadly eye falling upon him. I could tell he was exhausted and about to pass out from blood loss, and yet, he still put himself between that girl and certain death. That sycophantic devotion to another, especially her, infuriated me yet again. That he was about to die protect-

_"NO!"_

She positioned herself between him and the Guardian, throwing her hand when a sudden flash of golden light erupted from her. In that moment, she became a goddess, taking down all the corrupted machines in the vicinity with an ancient power. Not me. Her. I may have stopped some of them, but she was the one who destroyed them.

_"Was...was that….the power?"_

There was a thump as my former self collapsed to the ground. There was so much blood. Too much blood. The goddess, Zelda, turned and rushed to his side.

 _"Link, get up!"_ She pulled him into her arms, and in an instant, everything I believed was shattered as he managed to open his eyes to look at her. _"You're going to be just fine."_ She had to know that wasn't true, but even still, she was trying to reassure him.

He whispered something before closing his eyes and falling unconscious.

Nothing else about the vision registered for me. It no longer mattered - I remembered it all. The feel of her tears on my cheek. The warmth of her touch as I lay dying in her arms. The ringing of the sword and her instructions to the Sheikah. But most especially what I had said to her in those final moments.

With my last breath, I had told her that I loved her.

The memory over, I had already mounted my horse and had raced back towards Kakariko without fully realizing it until I was halfway through the village. I had it so firmly ingrained in my mind that she hated me. That she always resented me, and for me, the prejudice that a spoiled princess was nothing more than a duty, a job, an obligation.

By the goddesses, I had never been more wrong in all my life. I had loved her. I think I still did, and while I didn't understand when it happened or why, I couldn't ignore this feeling that now began to overwhelm me.

I pushed past both of the guards and raced back up the stairs, stopping only when I stood inches from the elder.

"Well, well. You've returned. What is it?"

"I loved her," I said breathlessly. "I told her that I loved her. Why didn't any of you tell me?"

"Would you have listened?" the wise woman asked. "You emerged from that cave, saw the worst of your past and thought nothing had changed after." After a moment passed, she added, "Though to be fair, none of us were completely sure how close the two of you were at the time. You were both frequently gone on official errands, and you were also very good at not getting caught. I only knew for certain because of what she told me after you… before she headed to the castle to stop the Calamity."

Upstairs, I could hear the baby begin to cry and Paya trying to calm her down. I was about to run to the stairs when I felt a firm hand pull me back.

"Comforting her now won't help either of you. That is an infant, not the woman you are seeking."

I tugged myself away from her. "What do I do? I don't understand anything right now."

"My suggestion is that you listen to me for once. Complete the original quest I gave you: find the locations of those images in that Sheikah slate and see if a memory is triggered."

"Where do I start? I want to know when everything changed."

"I'm not sure when you two became lovers, but I can tell you at what point her feelings about you began to change. I'd recommend you start there."

… … …

Near the ruins of the Ancient Tech Lab, I found a lone tree overlooking Hyrule Castle. The memory there was longer than any of the others I had triggered so far, and it showed the events that occurred after I was shrunk, or rather, turned back into a child, thanks to Purah's blasted machine.

So this is what Impa had meant about it not being an accident this time. Zelda had not meant to activate the machine in the past, but her letter made it very clear that she knew full well what would happen based on what I had gone through.

In the end, once I had been restored, I witnessed a fresh start between the princess and myself. This was where it began, a strange event that broke down the largest wall between us.

As the memory ended, I couldn't wait. I needed to see, to remember more. There were four images I had not yet found: the swamp, the Spring of Power, Lake Hylia, and Sanidin Park. Without sleep I raced on toward the location of the image that I felt in my gut was next.

… … …

Another tree. This time it was a quiet spot somewhere between a ruined village overlooking the bridge spanning Lake Hylia. The memory began with the pair of us in the rain, me practicing basic forms while Zelda sat silently and watched. Occasionally a random noise would cause her to jump and pull her attention away. I was beginning to wonder how observant I used to be, when the past me stopped and lowered his sword.

 _"You're quiet. Are you feeling okay?"_ Ah, so he did notice.

 _"I was just..."_ She looked towards the direction of our destination. The last time we had been to the Spring of Courage was when I had been turned into a child. She must have been nervous about returning so soon after that Yiga attack.

I watched as my past self sheathed the sword and walked over to sit near the princess. _"We could just skip this visit. You have prayed here recently afterall."_

 _"I didn't exactly do any praying that time. Other than offering up silent prayers that we didn't all die."_ She suddenly looked at him in total surprise. _"Suggesting we go against the official travel plans? That isn't like you."_

_"I didn't want to go back either."_

She pursed her lips, and for a time, all I could hear was the rain hitting the leaves. _"Was that Yiga your first kill?"_ I wondered how long she had waited to ask me that. _"I know it was for the little you..."_

Her sentence left unfinished in the rain.

 _"It was,"_ he said finally. _"I had killed many monsters before pulling the sword. Not too long ago, I forced myself to take down a lynel to prepare since they are somewhat close to people."_ He paused, scratching at his head. _"I vomited for days after before going out to try again. I thought I'd be ready, I knew I would have to soon, especially since the Yiga were ramping up their ambushes and you were planning to run away to the Gerudo Desert."_

She gave a start. _"You knew?!"_

He let out a little laugh. _"You aren't as sneaky as you think you are. But I was going to humor you and stay out of sight while you traveled there."_

 _"What might have happened if you hadn't gotten yourself shrunken by that machine?"_ She giggled at what must have been an incredulous look on my face. _"I know, I know. It was my fault."_

He shrugged. _"Looking back, I'm glad it happened."_

_"Are you?"_

_"It was my first vacation in years."_ He tucked his hands behind his head and leaned back. _"And I had the Princess of Hyrule taking care of me."_

As she swatted at the past me playfully, I mentally berated myself once again. If I had seen just one of these new memories, I would have questioned everything I believed about us. About her.

The next thing I saw, the rain had stopped sometime in the night and the dawn was approaching the horizon. Both he and Zelda had fallen asleep side-by-side in the cove under the tree at some point. She was the first to stir, briefly glancing over to see her knight. She closed her eyes and moved closer, brushing the tips of her fingers against his abdomen. He gave a small smile, an indication that he was very much aware of everything happening around them.

I felt a phantom tingle on my own stomach as I recalled the sensation of her touch, sending shivers of delight down my spine.

She suddenly stirred, excusing herself with a blush.

 _"Don't go far,"_ he cautioned. It was only a few moments later that we both heard a shriek and a splash. He went running to find Zelda bobbing in the river. _"What happened?"_

 _"I was washing up and accidentally fell in,"_ she laughed. _"It's nice in here."_

 _"I'll take your word for it."_ He shook his head and looked around, presumably for a branch or something else long enough to help her climb out. Not having any luck, he took out a spear and broke off the weapon end. _"Grab on,"_ he said.

She reached out, but it was just out of her reach. He stretched out attempting to bring the pole closer and closer when suddenly she grabbed hold and jerked it backward, causing him to lose his balance and tumble into the water. She let out a laugh, a sound that to me was now the most beautiful in all of Hyrule. When he didn't emerge, the laughter stopped, and the princess began frantically searching around. She let out a gasp when he floated up, face down, seconds later. Quickly, she flipped him over and swam to the shore.

 _"Link,"_ she cried out, shaking him. _"Link!"_ No response. _"Please, I don't know what to do. Link, I'm sorry."_

He opened his eyes and squirted a stream of water from his mouth, hitting her in the face. Her expression turned from one of despair to shock to anger.

_"You were faking?! That wasn't funny!"_

He laughed, which only served to enrage her more. She tried to climb out, but fell back into the water. Before she could hit, he caught her in his arms and carried her up the hill. He set her down, and she moved away, immediately going to pack her things.

_"Princess-"_

_"I would like to go to the Spring of Power."_

_"Princess?"_

_"If we leave immediately-""_

_"Zelda!"_

_"What?"_ As she turned, I could see that her eyes were glistening.

He must have seen it too, as he backed off. _"I'm sorry. I-"_

She turned away and continued to shove her items into her travel bag. _"I am not angry with you. This is just something that I need to do."_

He gave a bow. _"May I request that we first stop at East Post so I can update our travel plans."_

She gave a nod and the memory faded.

I was alone again. Since waking up in the Shrine, I had never before felt a longing for companionship, but now, I was very aware that I did not have anyone by my side. It pained me somewhat, remembering that I once shared a home with my parents and my young sister. roomed with my brothers-in-arms, and once I became the Hylian Champion, I was always at her side.

How it must have hurt her when I walked away that cold, rainy morning, leaving her behind, alone in Kakariko without a look back, without a second thought.

As I passed the road that led to the Sheikah village, I considered stopping to check on her. I could feel the pull, the tie to her growing stronger the more I learned about my past. Ultimately, though, I decided it would be a mistake and continued on.

After a while, I was desperate for sleep, and realized just before I reached the next stable that I could just use the Sheikah Slate to travel to the next destination. Racked with guilt, I chose to stop rather than continue and risk falling off my horse. It would be my luck to discover the great love of my life, only to die. Again.

As I succumbed to sleep, I started to wonder if maybe she'd be better off with a new start as she'd requested. From what I had remembered about the pressure she'd been under from her father, the citizens of Hyrule, even herself, it was easy to see why she would want a reset. With horror, my final thoughts were considering a future where I remembered everything and watched her grow up in a fresh start.

… … …

_"Please just tell me… what is it? What's wrong with me?"_

I watched myself turn. It seemed such a violation to listen in on the princess's prayers, but I remembered exactly why. Never before had she spoken a word during her meditations, for they were always meant to be quiet, private, between her and the goddesses. In addition, we had traveled in near silence directly from Lake Hylia, with only polite exchanges when necessary. So this sudden outburst from her, one that was so desperate, definitely gave me reason to break my own promise to not listen, and even more damning, to not enter the holy waters.

 _"What are you doing?"_ she cried out, wiping her eyes. _"You know you're forbidden from-"_

 _"You can have me put to death for my treachery if you'd like,"_ he interrupted, _"but you have been standing in this water for hours, and I refuse to just ignore that you are not okay."_

He tried to offer her a hand, but she smacked it away.

_"I can't stop, Link. I need to pray. I have to unlock this power. I have to...I have to…"_

She lost the last of her composure, colliding into his chest and sobbing uncontrollably. I vaguely recalled it was the feeling of her tears soaking through my shirt and armor that caused me to wrap my arms around her, shattering all protocol.

 _"What must I do?"_ I heard her whisper. _"Everyone else is able to fulfill their duty. Why isn't it easy for me?"_

He said nothing to her, but a feeling of dread hit me in the gut. It must have been a vague recollection of this because in the next moment, I watched as Zelda pulled a travel paring knife from his belt and pushed him away.

 _"Princess, wha-"_ His words cut off as she held the knife to her wrist.

 _"Is this what you want?"_ she screamed as she faced the statue. _"I have the blood of the Goddess, right? Must I spill it to make you happy? If I offer everything up in a sacrifice, will that be enough?"_

_"Princess, don't! Please!"_

She ignored him, and as she turned her head away, I sensed she was about to carry out the deed.

"ZELDA, NO!"

**Author's Note:**

> If you are struggling with suicidal thoughts or feelings, please do not feel ashamed or embarrassed about asking for help. The number for the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 800-273-8255 or you can chat with someone online. It is confidential and anonymous.


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